Brighton... Well, Lewes actually...

I suppose, if going to a football match at Brighton's (newish still) Falmer Stadium you have a choice or two... you can drink at the ground, and they do have real ale there, one of the few grounds that do! Or, you can drink in Brighton or Lewes, for me, the choice is obviously Lewes, and for anyone coming by train from the London direction probably best for them as well. The match ticket gives you free travel down from Haywards Heath, and you reach Lewes before you get to the ground, let alone Brighton, and it is closer to Falmer than Brighton, just, and all 3 pubs mentioned here are in CAMRA's 2014 Good Beer Guide... 

Anyway, I met up with quite a few people I hadn't seen for a while, some of whom were already alcoholically challenged before I arrived. I started at the best pub in Lewes, I came to decide that evening, the Snowdrop Inn in South Street. It doesn't take long to get around the pubs in Lewes, as it's not really that big, and, as you can see from the photograph above, this pub is below a cliff, because this is where the sea used to come up to here in years gone by, at least that's what I tell people, but it did used to be a major port on the River Ouse, and has a well recorded history from Saxon times, through to the Norman invasion and the erection of Lewes Castle, Tudor times and Anne of Cleaves House, and a hero of mine lived here, Thomas Paine, and much much more, definitely somewhere to visit and enjoy.   

6 ales are served by handpump at the Snowdrop Inn and a 4.8% real cider too, Cornish Orchards on this day. Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA, 4.7%) and Harveys Sussex Best (4%) are 2 regular ales, and there is now always at least one ale from Burning Sky Brewery, but today there were 2, so a treat for me, the Aurora (5.6%) and the Plateau (3.5%), and a crafty keg beer from them too; more regarding Burning Sky below. So, 4 ales from East Sussex and 2 from the Manchester brewery, another old favourite haunt of mine up there, Marble Arch, and their Pint (3.9%), a pale dry session bitter, I think I've written about before, and Chocolate Marble, which I definitely haven't tried before, a 5.5% slightly sweet stout with a balance of chocolate and coffee malt flavours, and very nice indeed!  

From the Snowdrop, I rushed away from the rather lovely barmaid, sadly, towards The Gardeners Arms, around the corner and down a wee bit in Cliffe High Street, as I'd received a phone call that people were arriving... now, they'd all been drinking in Brighton beforehand, and I felt remarkably sober! Things did get a wee bit confusing from here, and I forgot to take any notes. We had a good chat here, between each other (Paul, the Robbo brothers, Kieran and Graham, and Darrel and Jim) and with locals too, but I have no idea what I drank there, it didn't stand out, but I had been drinking Plateau back at the Snowdrop, and that is rather excellent. Anyway, I had a pint of something not too hoppy here; most of the ales were less exciting than the hoppy delights offered at the previous pub...   

Darrel and Jim popped off to a pub nearer to the station to meet up with another mate called Paul, and the remaining four of us dropped into the Lewes Arms, a Fullers pub in Mount Place, well, 3 of us did, we lost the other somehow until inside the ground at half time! I've written about this pub before, a decent Fullers pub that sells at least 2 guest ales usually, though I do remember Graham buying me a pint of Gales HSB (4.8%), though I thought he'd bought it for his brother. I nearly started an argument, but very gently, of course, thinking I was being ignored by the barmaid, sorry luv! Anyway, we went to the match next, got beaten, and I had to wait ages to catch a train back from Falmer, not very well organised at all... 

I did, though, manage to get back to Lewes in time for a couple more pints at the Snowdrop Inn, thankfully, the best pints of ale I had drunk for ages, the first, Plateau, went down in minutes, the second, I took my time over to enjoy the lovely flavours of, the also excellent Aurora, both reported on by me very recently. I had a good chat with Alec the bar manager too, though the lovely barmaid didn't work 'til this late, sadly. The Burning Sky ales are packed with hops, and served in quality straight glasses with the pub name on one side and the brewery name on the other (I love the glasses if anyone wants to know what to get me for my birthday!). 

For information, the head brewer at Burning Sky is Mark Tranter, formerly of Dark Star, and this brewery looks to be the foreseeable future of hoppy ales in East Sussex, you read it here! See their website too (site), good luck to them, cheers! 

Lewes and The Rights of Man, and Women...

So, a return to Lewes in East Sussex, the home of Harveys Brewery, and, in past times, some quite important people, eg Anne of Cleaves and Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense and The Rights of Man.

My first pub of the day was the Brewers Arms, right next door to where Paine used to live (his previous abode is to the right of the pub, as you look at the photograph). This is a good 'free house', which was serving Sussex ales, the ubiquitous Harveys Sussex Best (4%), and Sussex Old Ale (4.3%), and the very good Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA, 4.7%), and from afar, Theakstons Old Peculiar (5.6%) and Ordnance City Brewery Detonator Pale Ale. The Detonator Pale Ale is a 3.8% very easy to drink pale-ish bitter from Somerset, worth a try if you see it, but definitely a session ale.

I also tried a half of their cider from Kent, Riddenden Cider, an amazingly pale, crisp cider, and at 8%, much too easy to drink! 

Back to Mr Paine, the Rights of Man, along the High Street and near to the Courts, is the newest Harveys pub in its chain. Very nicely done up, a little too bright for me, but the ales were in good nick, all of which were from Harveys, of course. Sussex Best, Sussex old Ale, Armada Ale (4.5%), were all there. However, I tried 2 I hadn't drunk before, Sussex Wild Hop, a 3.7% "blonde beer", pale, dry and quite bitter, though a little thin, as would be expected from the strength. I also tried the much more interesting Star of Eastbourne, an "East India Ale", 5.5%, quite crisp and bitter, pale-ish, not bad for a paler ale from Harveys, who tend to excel with their darker ales. I also have to mention the landlady, 'Tash', a very interesting woman indeed!

From there, it was up to the Lewes Arms, a Fullers house, though it always seems to have a guest ale, in addition to the Fullers, Gales, and Harveys Sussex Best. This day, it was Navigation Golden (4.3%), sorry, I didn't try it as Fullers own London Porter was available, which I had to drink, it has to be one of my favourite darker ales, a 5.4% very dark ruby beer, rich, body++, full of flavour, including a hint of liquorice, love it!

I then ventured to the Snowdrop Inn, another great pub, OK 3 Harvey ales on sale, plus Dark Star APA, and some from further afield, including Oakham Scarlet Macaw (4.4%), a very good ale I have written about before, and Magic Rock Curious (3.9%) "Original Pale Ale", I made the probably overused joke and found this to be a nice pale bitter, can't say much more than that really. I ate here too, olives, home-made humus and pitta bread, a nice starters. 

I had a cheese and onion pasty for my main meal at The Gardeners Arms, back in the High Street, another free house that sells many lovely ales, amongst which were Sussex Best and Dark Star APA. I started with Ilkley Pale (4.2%), a very good ale I have written about before, very pale and bitter, nice one, and I also had the Black Iris Black Mountain, a "Black IPA", dark, full bodied, hoppy, gorgeous!

Then I returned to Hastings, more of which soon... Cheers!

Norwich via Liverpool Street

Reports back from Paul, Tom and Graham about the Gardeners Arms in Norwich ("The Murderers"), which has good Woodforde's Wherry on sale, only to be expected really, they also visited the Compleat Angler, very much a football fans pub! 

Paul also says he had a good pint of Kelham Island Pale Rider at Woodins Shades, a Nicholsons pub in Bishopsgate, near to Liverpool Street Station.

Cheers lads!

Monday 14th May

My brother came down to visit on Sunday, which mostly consisted of watching the football on the tv in a pub I just cannot recommend, sorry, I was only there for the football, and it only sold Harveys, and not in that good condition!  So, yesterday, we went for a circular walk from and to Lewes, strated fine, but rain and wind meant it was a bit of a trying day! 

Our first port of call was the intriguing, and over 500 years a hostelry, the Ram Inn in Firle, a great old building, excellent garden, smashing small wooden panelled bar, and a dark and eerie interior, quite grey and dark (see their website for photographs).  A rather charming young lass served us, and, in addition to the 2 less exciting ales, TEA and Sussex Best, there was a gem from Dark Star, Golden Gate (4.5%) - Yes, you guessed correctly, it's golden in colour, certainly a bitter, and rather sharp and refreshing, loved it!  The Ram also had Westons Country Perry (4.5%) on sale, which was a bonus.  This was the last time in the day we were actually dry, as it strated tipping down soon after our departure, but the Ram Inn is certainly somewhere I will return to.

Following our soaking from the persistent rain and horizontal wind up on the South Downs Way, we managed to return to Lewes without drowning... We immediately headed for the Snowdrop Inn, one of Dan's favourite pubs down here already, as well as mine, particularly, because it always seems to have either/and a Dark Star stronger ale, and something from Thornbridge.

We drank a couple of pints each of Dark Star Revelation (5.7%) and Thornbridge Kipling (5.2%), two of my current favourites, both full of hops, pale and bitter, with sweetness hinted, but dry finishes, crackin'!!  They also had RCH Brewery Steam Showers Bitter (4.8%), Dark Star Ruby Mild (6%), Knots of May Light Mild (3%) and Sussex Best, well, this is Lewes!

Our final visit, before returning to Hastings, was to the Gardeners Arms, Lewes. Another good real ale pub, though none of the people I usually chat to when here were here yesterday, but, as I wasn't alone, that wasn't a problem. On sale were Rother Valley Mild (3.8%), RCH Steam Showers again, Tring Death or Glory (a whopping 7.2%), Lytham Epic (4.4%), a pale-ish dry bitter with a slightly sour aroma and aftertaste, and, from Scotland, The Smart Brewing Company's Wild Thing (4.0%), named after Gareth Ainsworth, beloved by Blades fans (OK, a joke there ;-) - pale and dry, but, unlike Ainsworth, not a lot of strength or taste.

OK, I'll report on Tuesdays visit to Pett Level and Icklesham soon, cheers!

Gardeners Arms, final Lewes pub 22 February.

OK, past the church of Thomas-a-Becket, near to Harveys, is The Gardeners Arms, another pub selling the ubiquitous Sussex Best, and also 5 guest ales, and a regularly changing cider, on my visit, Lilley's Crazy Goat (6.8%), a blended perry and cider!

As well as trying the cider/perry, I drank an ale from the Liverpool Craft Beer Company (never heard of them before, so had to give it a go), made with a new Zealand hop and called Tane Mahuta, it was a good 'golden' beer and quite bitter to finish.

Other guest ales included Nethergate Old Growler, Bank Top Jean Lafitte, and Harveys Sussex XXXX Old Ale and Kiss. I was assured the number of Harveys ales on sale was just chance, what was ready to serve, definitely not a Harveys tied house!

You will see the food menu above, not really a foodie pub, but a pickled egg with Peri Peri spicey flakes was shared with me for a treat by Russ the 'beer tester', cheers! In addition to the excellent company of Russ, I also enjoyed the company of many others here, including 'Mouse' and Lisa, the landlady. I felt quite at home, but had to leave sadly, but I shall return...

All in all, a great day was had in Lewes, thank you to all those who helped me to enjoy the day, CHEERS!